The Thief and the Wizard
by dragonscales
Summary: Summary: After Gambit is left to die in Antarctica help comes in an unexpected way. Harry Potter was on a job to retrieve an artifact from an old wizard stronghold when he ends up saving a strange man from the ice and snow. What does the future hold?
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Thief and the Wizard

AU X-men/Harry Potter crossover

Summary: After Gambit is left to die in Antarctica help comes in an unexpected way. Harry Potter was on a job to retrieve an artifact from an old wizard stronghold when he ends up saving a strange man from the ice and snow. What does the future hold for these two men?

Warnings: Possible slash as well as hetero interaction, Violence, Blood, Gore. Does not follow cannon for HP or X-men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or X-men they belong to their respective creators.

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Dear Readers,

I have been absent from writing fanfiction for quite some time now. This is the first thing I have been able to sit down and write in many years. I don't know why this particular story is the one that finally gets put to paper or why I am unable to finish my other story. This chapter is only a prologue and I can't guarantee when or even if more updates will be coming. I ask that you be patient and give me some feedback on what you think of this prologue. Please do not send me flames or questions on my other work you will not get a response. With that said I hope you enjoy this beginning and the idea behind it.

Dragonscales

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The Thief and the Wizard - Prologue

The arctic wind hit Harry the minute he landed. Cursing to himself he cast warming charms and a few other spells designed to help him survive in this frozen wasteland. Done with his immediate survival preparations Harry took a look around him through his new snow goggles at the miles of ice surrounding him. Casting a compass charm with a wave of his hand he set out towards what was indicated as northeast. As he was walked he went over in his head the circumstances that had led to him slogging through the snow and ice in Antarctica.

At twenty-five years of age Harry had developed himself a reputation that had nothing to do with him defeating Voldemort a second and final time. He was now well known as the person to go to if you needed an artifact retrieved or found in the wizarding world. In the muggle world he was known as an information retrieval expert. In short Harry Potter was now a well-known thief, and a very good one at that. He took jobs based on a referral bases only. Essentially you had to be recommended to him by someone who he had already done business with. That's not to say he didn't do his own background checks because he did, as well as having certain rules about what kind of jobs he took and how they were carried out. It wasn't as if he needed the money anyway.

He currently based himself in the United States and more specifically New York where he had first arrived when he was nineteen. After Voldemort's defeat and the beginning of the clean up afterwards he spent the time he was healing thinking about himself and where he wanted his life to go. Many of the things he had thought about when he was younger were out of the question. Finding out just how far Dumbledore's manipulations had gone had left a bitter taste in his mouth towards many of the people he thought of as friends and family.

*Friends and family indeed, * he snorted at that thought. The only friends he had that hadn't been engineered by Dumbledore were Luna, Neville, Fred and George. Forcing his mind away from still unpleasant thoughts he returned his attention to how this job came about.

Bored and wanting a change in his life as well as determined to get away from a ministry looking for any chance to declare him the next Dark Lord so they would have an excuse to monitor and control his movements. Harry decided he wanted to move and leave Britain and the narrow-minded wizarding world there alone. After careful consideration he chose the United States. He had been impressed with the two agents they had sent with their congratulations after Voldemort's defeat, and knew that the best place to try and blend in would be there. The US and Britain magical communities weren't on the best of terms so Harry could be reasonably sure that if the British did trump up some charge against him that the Americans would more than likely be inclined to listen to him first. When he sent a letter to the Americans asking about the possibility of relocating they were happy to help him out. Within a week anything of value to him was transferred to a New York apartment arranged for him by the goblins who were only to happy to transfer his inheritance and money since he was only changing branches and not taking all of his money out of the bank like he was prepared to do if he didn't get what he wanted. As a formality he met with both the head of the AAD (American Aurors Division) and the muggle FBI. Both agencies expressed a desire to have him work with them even informally or on a consulting basis. Needless to say they were disappointed when he turned them down stating he didn't want that sort of life anymore and he had already done his share of catching the bad guys. He ended up leaving the meeting with special dispensations from both departments in case of assassins or illegal arrests from the British wizards and a promise of a job if he ever changed his mind.

About four months after arriving in New York and setting up a new life he found himself looking for something to do. The first couple months had been full of exploring his inheritance from both Sirius and his parents as well as straightening out the finances that hadn't been touched since they had died. On the advice of the goblins he took half of the actual money he had and created a corporation in the muggle world to invest in their markets and diversify his assets. It had the bonus of giving him the stepping-stone he needed to give him a complete identity with the muggles if he ever needed it. The next step was to learn what he had missed about the muggle world while he had been attending Hogwarts or being locked up at the Dursley's. Unsurprisingly it was a lot, his schooling before Hogwarts had been sketchy enough because of the Dursley's and once he got to Hogwarts it was halted completely. With that in mind he hired a private tutor who was under the impression he had suffered from a debilitating illness in his younger years and was only now healthy enough to endure the rigors of schooling. His greatest shock however was when he learned about Mutants. Mutants were a great deal more common here in America and the government was a lot more open about their existence than the British. Harry vaguely remembered hearing something about them one summer at Privet Drive. However at the time Voldemort and his death eaters consumed almost all of his thoughts. He had spared no energy towards things that weren't related to their defeat. As a result he was completely ignorant about mutants and just how much they were involved in the world today.

Immediately curious as to whether or not wizards were somehow connected he began reading everything he could on mutant researched. It didn't take him long to find that just like the purebloods back home hated muggles the muggles here weren't to fond of the mutants, and through his contact at the AAD he learned that the mutants were an evolution of normal humans and the wizards genetics were unable to support the X-Gene considering they had split from humans many thousands of years ago. It was apparent to Harry that it would be beneficial to keep an eye out for the key characters on each side of the mutant/human issue. He contented himself by collecting profiles on the most visible participants and added information as needed from then on. He couldn't really give a crap about prejudices considering his whole life had been full of them. He looked at someone's personality not their abilities or humanity, so long as they weren't out to deliberately do harm he didn't care who they were.

Harry was beyond surprised when he managed to finish his tutoring within a couple months and pass the GED. It seemed now that the seal on his powers that had broken with Voldemort's death had also freed up his natural abilities that had been suppressed all these years. He was able to concentrate and understand things much easier and faster than before. Meditation before had only managed to calm his mind down enough to absorb a lesson, now it was easy and the meditation was used as it was supposed to be and not as a buffer for his scattered mind. Everything was clearer and sharper, and he looked at things with a new eye and a better understanding of what he needed to do. Overall for the first time in his life Harry Potter felt that he could be more than a weapon.

In his boredom Harry decided to start shifting through some of the old papers that had been in the Potter and Black vaults when he visited. That was when he came across a scroll that would become his first job. When sorting through some of the papers that had come from the Black vault he found a scroll that when opened detailed a magical artifact and a directions on how to find it. Apparently one of Sirius's relatives had planned on going after the artifact but died before he made the trip, and the scroll got tossed in the vault to be forgotten until Harry found it. Unsure if the whole thing was real or a wild goose chase he took it to the goblins who authenticated it and told him if he brought it back they would most definitely have a buyer. It took him only about half the day to decide he was going. He felt lazy just sitting around on his ass the last couple months. Training in his gym and workout room only did so much, and if he was honest with himself he had gotten used to the adrenaline rush of being in a dangerous situation and he missed the sensation. Granted he didn't miss it enough to go back to hunting down wizards full time he figured if he did a job like this one and came back alright he might look into doing the occasional job here and there to keep his skills sharp. Needless to say he came back in one piece and thoroughly enamored with what would shortly become his calling.

Word spread quickly about his new occupation and he was in business. He first set up the rules under which he would take and complete jobs. His first few were recommended by the goblins and after that mostly through the referrals of his past clients. If the client had a problem with Harry's rules then they were turned down Harry didn't need the money and had no intention of involving himself in anything problematic or illegal. The muggle side of his reputation came about by accident. A previous wizarding client of his had valuable information stolen from his house and his hands were tied, as the thief's were muggles who he wasn't allowed to use magic against. So the client asked Harry if he could steal the information back from the thief's without using magic, because the wizard was a good client Harry said yes. Not many people knew that while he had been trained in wizarding areas of combat and stealth he had also been trained the muggle way and that included thieves skills. A day later he presented the wizard with his information and began taking jobs in the muggle side of the world. The authorities in both worlds and Harry had come to an agreement, they didn't want to piss Harry off and he just wanted to be left alone. So as long as Harry kept his nose clean and didn't go after any government property they would look the other way. For the next several years Harry built his reputation in both the muggle and magical world, which led to today, and a job in Antarctica to find an artifact in an old wizarding outpost from a few thousand years ago warded against muggles and the elements.

Unfortunately the port key he took dropped him off a couple miles from the outpost and that brings us back to him cursing as he trudges through the snow towards his destination. Just as he began to warm up courtesy of a liberal use of warming charms and his new cold weather gear he came within sight of the structure he was looking for. The only problem was the citadel was completely visible and there was a large black jet parked nearby. Immediately waving his hand and disillusioning himself Harry also cast a slight levitation spell on so as not to leave tracks and a few other spells to conceal his scent, aura, and magical signature. Instead of the slightly disgruntled attitude from a crappy port key Harry was now completely focused and his senses were busy scanning for danger. Just as he confirmed there was no one near him or tracking him and was about to cast another spell on the citadel and jet to determine how many people he was dealing with the ground began shaking. As he watched in slight stupefaction the citadel began collapsing in on itself and several people fleeing the collapsing structure. To his surprise several people were actually flying away from the building. Apparently this was a group of mutants rather than regular people. From that distance Harry couldn't really get a good look at their faces but he was pretty sure he realized who the two groups were. Then Harry's eye was caught by a figure flying towards the group that congregated at the base of the black jet, the other group had long ago disappeared out of Harry's sight. What caught Harry's attention was the fact the woman had been carrying a man with her when she escaped and now she was returning without him. He watched for a moment as she landed and the group seemed to argue briefly before climbing into the jet and taking off a moment later.

Harry stood there for a moment or two digesting what he had just seen and the fact he now had a few decisions to make. Number one was whether or not to see if that woman really had abandoned someone out in the snow and ice. The second decision was whether or not to see if he could still salvage this job and find the artifact under all that rubble and if it was still intact or not. Eventually his conscience nagged at him enough that he set out in the direction the flying woman had come from with a huff of irritation. Twenty minutes or so of walking through the snow Harry came across a body that was already starting to be covered in snow. After a moment of thought Harry cast a mild sleeping spell over what appeared to be a young man in his early twenties. Once he was assured the man was asleep Harry levitated him a couple feet off of the ground and formed a barrier almost like a cocoon around the man and filled it with heating charms. Deeming it the best he could do at the moment Harry began trudging back towards the ruins of the citadel the cocoon following behind.

Once he reached the ruins he conjured up a tent with another wave of his hand and placed the cocoon inside, this way the strange man would be more protected from the elements while Harry worked to get the artifact so they could leave. On his walk back Harry had decided to forgo any subtlety and just blast his way through the rubble till he got where he needed to go. He had a feeling that it would be a good idea to get out of here sooner rather than later in case someone else decided to investigate what went on a few moments ago. Quickly consulting the information regarding the artifacts location Harry began moving rubble out of his way either by levitation or just blasting something with the wave of his hand. After about ten minutes he managed to make a small opening into the chamber he was looking for. Muttering a short incantation and making a small movement with his wrist he waited for a moment until a small blue light zoomed up and out of the opening into his waiting hand. With a small smile on his face for another job completed he pulled a small well-warded box from his jacket pocket and placed the artifact inside. Once that was done his face lost that little smile and he made his way back to the tent were he had placed the man who had been left to die frozen and alone. Once back at the tent he quickly set about erasing any signs of his presence and his magical signature. Taking down the tent and reaching through the cocoon to grasp the strangers wrist he activated his emergency port key and with a slight pop was gone from Antarctica no traces showing he had ever been there.


	2. Chapter 2

The Thief and the Wizard - Chapter 1

AU X-men / Harry Potter Crossover

Summary:

Warnings: Slash and Hetero interaction. Violence, Blood, Gore, biased points of view. Will not follow storylines for X-men or Harry Potter. Liberal use of author's license to screw with storylines and characters personalities.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or X-men both belong to their respective creators and publishing companies.

Author's Note: Well here is the first actual chapter. In all honesty I am so out of practice in writing that it's bound to be sloppy and not necessarily well put together yet. I have no beta reader at this moment and I'm not sure I will accept one. Once again I am not sure how far I will be going with this story so I ask for patience. It is very difficult coming back into writing after five years away. If you leave a review please give me something constructive to work with. Thank you.

The Thief and the Wizard

Chapter One

It was with a small pop that two figures appeared out of thin air in the room designated as Harry's version of a hospital room. Immediately placing the stranger he had rescued from freezing to death on the only bed in the room he checked to make sure his guest was still under the sleep spell before walking over to a wooden box in the corner of the room. Lifting the lid he looked at the three buttons within before pressing the yellow one and ignoring the green and red ones. With that taken care of he decided to finally take a good look at the man he rescued and try to make sense of what he had seen. As he looked the man over his eyes were immediately drawn to the belt with the x symbol inside a circle on it. It was confirmation of what he had thought he had seen out there. Apparently this man was a part of the X-men, one of the mutant groups he had been keeping an eye on.

According to his information the X-men were dedicated to getting humans and mutants to co-exist peacefully as well as taking in mutants who needed help with their powers. Their cover was the Xavier School for gifted youngsters. The X-men were almost constantly battling other mutants who had become criminals or wished to harm humans. In all his research he found that the X-men were above all people who gave second chances and even took in enemies who wanted to change their ways. It made him wonder why this man had been left behind to die and if it was really the other members that had done so. Either way he doubted he would know the truth until the man woke up.

Focusing his attention back on the person in front of his he continued his careful perusal of the man. Brown hair with red highlights framed a face that was mostly angles. He was handsome almost in a classical sense with a long nose, thin lips, and a strong jaw. His clothing was a bit odd with what seemed to be blue spandex covering him up to the ears; over that was fuchsia and lighter blue armor that resembled a variant of a Kevlar vest. On his feet were knee high armored boots and over the whole outfit was a long brown trench coat.

Just then Harry's ears registered a small pop and he turned around hand ready to defend himself and his guest only to relax as he found himself looking at one of his only true friends Neville Longbottom.

Crossing the room to where Neville stood he embraced the man briefly before starting to talk.

"Thank you for coming Neville I ran into some complications on a job in the Antarctic and ended up saving some poor bastard whose buddies left him to freeze."

As he spoke Harry pulled Neville over to the bed he had placed the stranger in.

"I just wanted you to look him over to make sure he doesn't have any injuries and tell me how to treat him. I am pretty sure he is a mutant if that helps any."

Neville took all of it in stride until Harry reached the mutant part. At that his eyebrows raised and he said,

"I thought you were trying to stay out of their way Harry? Anyway him being a mutant shouldn't affect my scans or any treatments. If I was doing something invasive it might but I don't think it will be an issue here."

With that statement Neville pulled out his wand and began waving it over the prone man and muttering under his breath.

Harry looked on with a sense of pride that his once shy friend had come so far. In the last year before Voldemort had been defeated Neville had decided to dedicate himself to becoming a healer. His love of Herbology hadn't diminished with his decision he just did it as a hobby now, and indeed most of the plants he used in healing potions were from his very own garden. Once he became certified Neville had become Harry's healer and the only one he trusted. Once he moved to the US the two men had set up a system so Neville would know if Harry needed him.

The three buttons earlier were used to contact Neville and the color denoted the severity of the need. Green meant needed advice or general health check bumps and bruises at most. The yellow button meant injured but not life threatening but to come as soon as possible, broken bones, concussions, or hard to reverse hexes were all considered yellow. Red was the emergency button was Harry needing help immediately and meant either life threatening injuries or curses. Harry knew enough to keep him self together in a pinch but he was by no means an expert like Neville.

As if he knew what was going through Harry's head Neville turned his attention from his patient to Harry. Conjuring a sheet of parchment filled with writing he walked towards him as he spoke.

"Well it seems that your guest is in relatively well health he didn't manage to contract hypothermia thanks to your quick thinking. However I did find a few things that concerned me."

Harry wandlessly conjured up two chairs and some tea before gesturing for Neville to take a seat and continue speaking.

"The first is he needs to eat more, I believe it has something to do with his powers and his metabolism so make sure he eats well and a lot of it. The second issue is he has some sort of seal on his powers so he can only access them partially. It also seems that whatever happened out there drained him quite a bit, he has lower than normal energy readings indicating he used his power heavily or that someone drained him of energy. It could be either or even both."

Harry's eyes narrowed at the mention of a seal, his own thoughts remembering his magic being partially sealed. Neville seeing the look hurried on.

"The only problem is until you speak to him we don't know what the seal is for. I won't remove it unless he specifically requests it Harry. It could be voluntary to control a part of his powers he can't. Until I know for sure there isn't much I can do. Here is a list of what I want you to do."

Harry nodded deep in thought. Neville handed over the parchment he had conjured up with care instructions and things to watch out for. It seemed that everything else was on hold until he woke the man up and got some answers to his questions.

Finally Neville stood up thanked Harry for the tea and left with a promise from Harry to call him soon for a friendly chat instead of his healer's skills. The two shook hands and Neville activated his port key taking him back home.

Now once again alone with his guest Harry decided to move the man to more comfortable room and bed before he lifted the sleeping spell. Hopefully the more comfortable surroundings would dissuade his guest from panicking and allow him to explain the circumstances surrounding his rescue. It wouldn't do for the man to think an enemy or something had kidnapped him. Gently levitating the man he made his way through the door down the hallway and up a flight of stairs to where one of the guest rooms was located. Setting the man on top of the bed Harry conjured himself a squishy armchair next to the bed and set about warding the room just in case his guest tried to attack and escape. After a few moments and a few more gestures with his hands the wards were in place. Taking a deep breath Harry lifted the sleeping spell and cast a slight enervate on the man. It took about a minute but finally the man's eyelids slowly fluttered open and Harry found himself looking into the pair of most intriguing eyes he had ever seen. Black sclera with red iris stared at him in fogged confusion that looked to be rapidly diminishing.

Unsurprisingly the first words out of the man's mouth were,

"Who da hell are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

The Thief and the Wizard - Chapter 2

AU X-men / Harry Potter Crossover

Summary:

Warnings: Slash and Hetero interaction. Violence, Blood, Gore, biased points of view. Will not follow storylines for X-men or Harry Potter. Liberal use of author's license to screw with storylines and characters personalities.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or X-men both belong to their respective creators and publishing companies.

Author's Note: Well second chapter for this story. Hopefully the third will come as soon as this one did. Please forgive grammar and spelling mistakes. As I have stated I don't have a beta and my skills in those departments are limited. I would love if you leave a review and if you do please tell me what you do like and not just that you like it. Constructive criticism is my friend. I am slowly getting back into the groove of writing and hopefully each chapter will get better as I get more comfortable with my writing. Thank you for reading.

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Chapter Two

The last thing Gambit remembered was the wind and cold air of the Antarctic cutting through his clothes. He remembered trying to walk and find his way back to the citadel where the trial had been held. Obviously he hadn't made it, he could feel warmth surrounding him and a bed underneath him. As soon as he realized that his mind went into overdrive, while he made sure his body stayed as if he was asleep. One of the first things he had learned in life was when waking make sure you know who and what is around you especially if the sleep wasn't voluntary.

Slowly Remy sent his awareness out to try and get a feel for where he was and if he was alone, he also focused on what he could hear and feel beneath his body.

Remy's awareness slowly crept out into the room and he was grimly satisfied when he felt another presence. So they did have someone watching him after all. Now the only other problem was to figure out just who it was that rescued him and was holding him now. It couldn't be the X-men the feel of the place was too different from the mansion and Remy would have been able to feel someone familiar. Not to mention the bed and sheets he was lying on were soft and too good a quality to be anything the X-men had. By that reasoning he was pretty sure that Sinister wasn't the one holding him either the accommodations would definitely have more of a lab feel to them, not to mention he wouldn't have been looked after nearly so well.

The only other immediate thought was, Erik the Red or one of the mutants with him had come back and rescued him. Which was incredibly unlikely, but Remy had learned over the years that anything could happen and don't discount something just because you thought it unlikely. Going over his options one more time Remy felt the only way he was going to learn more was to either open his empathy up and try to get a read on who was in the room or wake up and demand some answers.

Without knowing who the other person in the room was there was no way Gambit was going to open his shields enough to actually feel someone. There was also no way of knowing if the other person could detect it or not. To Gambit's senses the person felt sort of like a mutant with powers but it was different and that difference gave him pause and made him cautious. Finally he decided the only way to get information would be to wake up and see where that got him.

He let his eyelids flicker and made sure that he had the appropriate look of confusion on his face before finally opening his eyes and focusing on the other person in the room and demanding,

"Who da hell are you?

While some of the shock he displayed was acting a tiny part of him was still shocked when he finally caught sight of the person who had been watching over him.

It was a man and as he stood up from the chair he had been sitting in Remy could see he was a decent height around 5'11" and looked to be in pretty good shape. But what really caught Remy's attention were stunning green eyes set in one of the most handsome faces he had seen in a long time and the long silky looking black hair that was tied back so it fell between his shoulders. Overall the man was a looker but the grace with which his body moved and the polite mask covering his face put him in the dangerous category. Gambit's attention was snapped away from his perusal by the man stopping at the foot of the bed he was lying in.

The strange man spoke, his voice deep with a faint British accent and barely hinting at the power Gambit knew the man had.

"My name is Harry and this is my home. I was on a job in the Antarctic when I came across your group and the other group at my job site already. I was just in time to see a several thousand year old citadel be ruined and noticed the one who flew you out returning alone. In good conscience I couldn't leave you out there to die if you were still alive. So I set out in that direction and managed to stumble across you just as you were starting to develop hypothermia."

The man named Harry gestured towards their surroundings as he continued to speak.

"I brought you back here and had my personal physician make sure you were all right before moving you in here were you would be more comfortable."

Harry almost smiled as explained to his guest what had happened or at least the bare bones. He would tell the man more later if the other was deemed trustworthy enough. He was pretty sure the minute or so before the man had opened his eyes he had been trying to learn everything he could about his surroundings before pretending to wake up. Harry had employed that tactic more than once himself during the war. He had no doubts that the man before him was skilled in combat and most likely other areas as well. Harry's instincts told him this man was definitely someone he wanted to get to know and Harry never ignored his instincts after they had saved him so many times before. Ignoring his guest's wary look he dragged a chair over to the side of the bed sat down and smiled slightly.

"So since I introduced myself to you, can you give me your name or should I make one up for you?"

To be honest Gambit found himself a little thrown off by this man, this Harry. If what he said was true, this stranger had saved him after he had been abandoned by his team and without an ulterior motive. To Remy it was almost to good to be true. For the moment he would go along with this Harry and wait for the other shoe to be dropped and when it did he would be ready. Clearing his throat he spoke,

"My name is Remy LeBeau most people call me Gambit. Thank you mon ami for saving this Cajun from the cold. I never did like the cold all dat' much an' now I got a nother' reason not to like it."

Harry stood up,

"That reminds me my doctor said as soon as you woke up to feed you and get fluids in you. If you want to use the bathroom and clean up I can take you down to the kitchen and get something warm in you."

He pointed to a door set in the wall to the left of the bed.

"The bathroom is through there and I will leave a set of clean clothes on the bed for you when you get out. Is twenty minutes enough time? Or will you need more?"

Gambit threw back the covers laid over him and swung his legs over the side of the bed before looking back to his host.

"Non, twenty minutes be fine. Merci, Gambit appreciates da' chance to clean up."

"Then I will leave you to it and be back in twenty to show you the way to the kitchen."

With a wave of his hand in goodbye Harry walked out the door leaving Remy alone in the room.

Setting his feet on the floor Remy realized he was still dressed in mission uniform including his boots. Wincing at the thought of the mess he must have made of the bed he was on he looked back and was relieved to see he had been placed on top of the beds covers and a blanket had been placed over him. Satisfied he hadn't made too much of a mess he turned his attention to himself. Standing up slowly he winced at the stiffness in his limbs and joints and gingerly stretched feeling the soreness and weakness throughout his body. Apparently his muscles hadn't liked the cold anymore than he had.

Slowly he made his way towards the door where the bathroom was located all the while checking his pockets for anything missing. Everything was where he had placed it including his bo staff, which begged the question how had Harry's doctor examined him without removing his clothes. Dismissing it as a question to ask the man later Gambit pulled out his communicator and was unsurprised to see it halfway smashed. Between the flight from the crumbling citadel and the landing from Rouge dropping him even if it was only a few feet he wasn't surprised it hadn't survived.

Opening the bathroom door his jaw almost dropped. Inside was one of the greatest bathrooms he had seen in a long time. The space was huge with what looked to be a huge Jacuzzi tub along the back wall and a large glass encased separate shower with what looked like multiple showerheads. The sink had his and her sinks and the toilet was in its own space in a corner with a partition for privacy. The whole bathroom was done in colors of blue and green all different shades and decorated tastefully with a few prints of ocean scenes and various nick knacks. Once he got over his surprise he began to undress putting his clothes on a shelf nearby that seemed to be made for that purpose turning on the water in the shower he waited for it to warm up before stepping in. After a few minutes of just standing under the warm water Remy decided he better get moving and reached for the shampoo. After all he only had twenty minutes before his host came back and he would rather be clothed by that time.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Thief and the Wizard

AU X-men/Harry Potter crossover

Summary: After Gambit is left to die in Antarctica help comes in an unexpected way. Harry Potter was on a job to retrieve an artifact from an old wizard stronghold when he ends up saving a strange man from the ice and snow. What does the future hold for these two men?

Warnings: Possible slash as well as hetero interaction, Violence, Blood, Gore. Does not follow cannon for HP or X-men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or X-men they belong to their respective creators

Author's note: This chapter was harder for me to write because of the amount of dialogue. Suffice it to say that dialogue is not one of my strengths. I apologize if some of it seems forced or disjointed but I am working on improving it for later chapters.

In response to some reviews I have gotten I will say this; Gambit and Harry are not going to immediately jump each other. Friendship comes first people as well as trust and I wont rush that in the story. The other issue is they are partners, which means they are equals. This will not be a typical seme/uke relationship that a lot of authors like to use in their stories.

With that said I hope you all enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one. As always I appreciate reviews especially ones that tell me what you liked or ways I could improve my writing. Thank you.

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Chapter Three

As he walked out of the room Harry was pleased with how things had gone so far. Gambit wasn't quite ready to trust him yet and Harry could understand him, after all it was how he would react. Most likely Gambit was bidding his time waiting for Harry to tell him what he really wanted with him. For a moment Harry almost pitied the man obviously he had grown up in an environment where people expected payment for any type of kindness and everyone had a hidden agenda. It was a good thing Harry had experience dealing with that kind of attitude; it would make it easier to read Gambit and hopefully put the man more at ease. For now there wasn't much he could do so Harry quickly conjured up some soft black lounge pants and a long sleeved shirt to go with them and re-entered the room setting the garments on the bed for when his guest got out of the shower. Exiting the bedroom once more he made his way to the kitchen, intent on figuring out what he wanted to make for Gambit that followed Neville's orders.

When Gambit stepped out of the shower he quickly dried himself off with one of the fluffiest towels he had ever touched and wrapped another one around his waist. Moving out of the bathroom he made his way over to the bed and the clothes that had been placed neatly on it. Picking up the pants and shirt Gambit saw his host had gone for comfort over style something his sore body readily appreciated. Quickly donning the comfortable clothes, which were only a little big on him, he went back into the bathroom to grab his dirty mission clothes. Carefully folding the uniform up and his trench coat he took the opportunity to put a pack of cards in the pocket on each side of the lounge pants as a precaution. After all he was still in a strange place with a strange person whose abilities he knew nothing about.

Just then a knock sounded at the door and Harry's voice called out, "Can I come in? Or do you need some more time?"

Gambit was about as ready as he was ever going to get so he replied, "Oui, I am decent. Gambit be ready to get something to eat now mon ami."

The door opened and Harry stepped in and gave Gambit a casual appraisal, "Good I'm glad to see the clothes fit somewhat decently I wasn't sure if I got the right size. As for eating just follow me and we will head to the kitchen and I will get something started."

With that Gambit followed Harry out the door down a hallway to a circular set of stairs leading both down and up. Harry took the set leading downstairs with Gambit following the whole way through what looked like a living room and through a doorway leading to one of the most spacious kitchens Gambit had seen in a while. In actuality the whole place had him interested, it was obvious his host had money and lots of it. The quality of the furnishings and the scattered artwork along with various knickknacks were another clue, his well trained thief's eye easily picking out the fact that even though the pieces were understated and small they were of good quality he even thought he recognized a few of the artists. It seemed Harry wasn't flashy with his wealth and if Gambit had been an ordinary person he would have thought the man well to do but not necessarily rich.

The kitchen Harry had led him into was spacious and full of everything a top quality chef could want. It was also obviously well used and cared for. With a wave of his hand Harry indicated for Gambit to sit down at one of the bar stools at the center island of the kitchen. Gambit had barely taken a seat when Harry spoke his voice a bit muffled, as his head was halfway stuck in the large refrigerator.

"So according to what my doctor said I need to feed you high calorie foods that are rich in protein to make up for the energy you lost. Since according to him you have a high metabolism relating to the usage of your mutant powers and you use a lot of energy." His head popped briefly out of the refrigerator to look at Gambit with his bright green eyes.

"I hope steak and baked potato with the works is ok with you it's the best I can come up with on short notice. That way you can watch me cook it so you're sure I don't drug it."

Once again Remy felt himself off balance when it came to this strange man. He wasn't used to the sort of kindness this man was showing. To him it was almost as if Harry had read his mind because he had been thinking this would be an opportune time for the man to drug him. He stopped his mind from wandering just as Harry spoke again while he moved around setting things up.

"Would you like something to drink? I have tea, coffee, soda, water, and fruit juice, I am afraid I am out of alcohol at the moment and I doubt that's what you need anyway."

Gambit shook his head ruefully, "Non, as much as I'd like a strong drink right about now, your right. No need to confuse my poor head anymore than it already is. But I will take some coffee if you don't mind."

Harry stepped over to the coffee machine on the end of the island and began the process of making the machine work.

"Coffee it is then. I know you have questions for me and I have a few for you but do you mind waiting until we have our food in front of us? It won't take me to long to fix."

"Dat's fine, Gambit's always in a more agreeable mood when his belly is full."

Harry flashed him a quick smile as he continued moving around the kitchen and Gambit relaxed on the bar stool he was perched on. In truth it was a good thing they had delayed talking Gambit needed to decide on what he wanted to tell the other man and what he wanted to ask. A cup of coffee appeared in front of him along with an unopened box of sugar cubes and an unopened container of regular creamer. Remy's host was sure good at catering to his paranoia, so good in fact he mused, it almost spoke of experience. Making a mental note to be sure to ask Harry about that, Gambit watched the rest of the meal preparation in silence taking the occasional sip of coffee as he watched Harry move about.

The man was certainly something pleasing to look at with his gorgeous face and body. Gambit could also appreciate the other mans elegance of movement that could only be gained from constant training. Training in what though, that was what Gambit couldn't quite figure out. Right now he was just content to watch and study the man.

The way he moved around the kitchen spoke of familiarity and comfort. Clearly the man knew how to cook and did so often it fit well with Gambit's first impression of the space and that it was well used. Soon enough Harry began setting out placemats, silverware and condiments for the baked potatoes. A few more minutes and the steaks were removed from the oven to sit next to the baked potatoes that had been wrapped in foil. Harry plopped one on each plate and set them in the middle of the island. Then he dragged a stool around to the other side so he was sitting across from his guest.

Motioning to the plates he spoke, "Go ahead and pick which one you want, both are done to medium rare. I hope it's to your tastes."

Gambit picked the plate on his left, unwrapped his potato, and began piling on toppings.

"Thank you for the food and hospitality, dis Cajun also thanks you for being so good to him."

"Your welcome, now dig in before it gets cold."

Harry flashed another quick smile at his guest before taking his own advice and tucking in. Before long both men were down to the last couple bites. Finally Remy pushed away his plate with a sigh and a belly pat.

"Dat was good mon ami, but I think it's time we had our Tête-à-tête, non?"

Harry nodded his head and quickly collected their plates and placed them in the sink before heading for the door.

"Follow me, we can go to my office it's more comfortable and we can sit down in relative comfort while we talk."

Following Harry once more Gambit was led back down the hallway they had come from and to the living room where Harry opened a door set against the far wall and walked in. When Gambit stepped into the room he wasn't surprised to find it as tastefully elegant as the rest of the house. The only things that looked as if they didn't belong were two squishy comfortable looking chairs sitting in front of the desk Harry was settling himself behind. Taking a seat in one of the squishy chairs Gambit relaxed slightly; finally he would hopefully be getting some answers.

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	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Thief and the Wizard

AU X-men/Harry Potter crossover

Summary: After Gambit is left to die in Antarctica help comes in an unexpected way. Harry Potter was on a job to retrieve an artifact from an old wizard stronghold when he ends up saving a strange man from the ice and snow. What does the future hold for these two men?

Warnings: Possible slash as well as hetero interaction, Violence, Blood, Gore. Does not follow cannon for HP or X-men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or X-men they belong to their respective creators

Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter took longer than the others. I went to visit my sister and go to her baby shower. In a few short weeks I will also be going out of town for a month or more to help her with the new baby since I still do not have a job. During that period I am not sure if I will have Internet access or time to write so please be patient. My family comes first before anything else including writing. This chapter is mainly establishing the base between Gambit and Harry as well as filling in some background as to what they know about one another. In other words it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship and maybe more later down the road. I hope you enjoy the story and I appreciate the reviews and any comments, questions, or constructive criticism.

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Chapter Four

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Harry pulled open one of his desk drawers and grabbed several files placing them onto top of the desk. Spreading them out he quickly picked one up.

"In the interests of being honest with each other I figured I should be the one to extend trust first. As you might have figured out by now I am not a mutant hater. I have no problems with mutants so long as they do not intend to harm me, those under my protection, or interfere in whatever job I am doing at the time. However with the world the way it is and the hostilities between certain mutant factions and certain human factions I have found it prudent to keep track of whose who in the various groups that are out there and individuals of particular power."

Harry gently laid down the folder he was holding on the edge of the desk closest to Gambit and indicated for him to pick it up. Once Gambit had a hold of the folder Harry continued speaking.

"I don't gather any information beyond the basics like, appearance, abilities, and allies/enemies. The folder your holding is the current information I have on the X-men."

Gambit had had a feeling that was what he was holding and quickly flicked through the information in the folder. From what he could see as he flipped through the pages it was just as Harry said basic information and nothing to personal, it was also highly accurate from what he could tell at a glance. Finally he looked up from the folder his face serious.

"Alright mon ami, you know who Gambit is so what do ya want with me? And what kind a jobs you be doin' that you might run into one of us?"

The last was added in a slightly suspicious tone as his mind ran with a thousand different possibilities and a lot of them not very nice.

Harry ran a hand across his pulled back hair before leaning back in his chair with a sigh.

"What _**I**_ want to know is why you were left out there to die by supposed teammates and people who give their enemies more chances than a revolving door." His voice growing was growing stronger and louder as he continued. "What they did to you was absolute bullshit! I saw that woman fly you out of citadel before leaving you to die a slow death in the ice and cold. Being crushed would have been a much quicker and humane death than freezing to death. That was just unnecessary cruelty. If death is required it should be swift and painless not long and drawn out like that."

Harry's face was tight with anger and his green eyes flashed with emotion as he spoke.

"All of that begs the question, are the X-men no longer the peace promoting group with the supposed safe haven for mutants that they used to be? The fact that none of the others that I saw went looking for you speaks of betrayal, they didn't even have the courtesy to bring your body back so burial services could be preformed.

The sudden venom and almost sibilant tone in Harry's voice surprised Gambit and gave him the feeling his host had personal experience with this type of situation.

"Betrayal by a friend or a teammate is one of the worst things one person can do to another." Harry's hands were clenched into white knuckled fists as he looked at a point on the far wall. "Though I could not in good conscience do anything until I have heard what you have to say on this matter." His whole demeanor was slowly losing the anger he had just built up as he forcibly calmed himself, and as he slowly uncurled his clenched fists he turned his whole attention back onto Gambit green eyes once again meeting red on black.

"However before we get more into that I need to explain some things about myself and what I do that will undoubtedly clear up some of the questions I am sure you are wanting to ask. First I need you to answer a couple questions so I can determine just how much I need to explain and how much you already know."

Outwardly his face remained impassive but inside Gambit was shocked, he wasn't sure what to think about this man. Harry actually seemed mad at the X-men rather than Gambit. Anyone else would have assumed because of what the X-men stood for that Gambit was the guilty party not them, but then again Harry's opinion might very well change once he was told the whole story. Tossing the folder he held back onto the desk Gambit stretched out his legs and leaned back in his chair with a smile and his hands laced behind his head.

"Ask what you need to ask den', but I can't promise ta' answer if I don't feel comfortable, d'accord?"

"That's fine."

Harry picked up the folder and set it aside before leaning forward onto the desk with his elbows and hands clasped together in front of his face.

"From your accent and various information I picked up about you, your from New Orleans, right? Also one of the skills I have down for you is the fact you are an expert thief. I need to know if you are or were a part of the thieves, or assassins guild down there."

Gambit looked at Harry for a moment before turning his gaze to the ceiling silently contemplating just how much to say. Finally he turned brought his eyes back down to meet Harry's serious green ones once more.

"I was raised in the thieves guild until something happened in my late teens and I had to leave."

Harry just nodded as if the answer was just a confirmation and didn't push for clarification sensing an old pain not quite healed.

"Then if I am correct you would be Jean-Luc LeBeau's son who is the current leader of the guild, am I right?"

Gambit only nodded as he wondered just where this line of inquiry was going. It wasn't often someone knew of the connection between Jean-Luc leader of the guild and the mutant known as Gambit.

"Good that makes things slightly easier then. Hopefully you were taught properly and won't laugh your ass off or think I'm crazy as I explain just what I am and what I do."

To be honest curiosity was eating Gambit alive. Harry was unlike anyone Gambit had ever met and there were so many questions he wanted answers to. After all it wasn't exactly easy to get to Antarctica and back let alone survive out there undetected by a bunch of mutants even for a little while. He nodded at Harry to continue.

"Since you were raised by the guild and a son of the leader I'm sure that you have been informed that magic exists and the different kinds of people that use it correct?"

Gambit's eyes widened in surprise sitting up straight in his chair as he said, "Are you talking bout da' voodoo or da' other stuff because Gambit don't get mixed up wit the voodoo, he respects it but don't want no part of it."

Harry just shook his head a slight smile on his face, "No, I am not mixed up in Voodoo. I am talking about the magic users called witches and wizards who use the magic that comes from themselves that they are born with."

Gambit relaxed a little with Harry's denial of voodoo but remained upright in his chair as he looked at the man in front of him.

"Dere' has been talk and stories bout the type your talking about and it is said the guilds have treaties with them but I don't remember much more dan' dat' since I never met one, since they supposedly try their best to remain apart from everyone else."

Harry's eyes were filled with humor as a slow grin made its way onto his face as he replied,

"Well now you can say you have. You see _**I**_ _**am**_ a wizard and that's one of the reasons I was able to save you."

Remy felt his jaw drop, "You sure you ain't just playin a joke on dis' poor Cajun, Cher?"

Harry slowly shook his head in the negative grin still in place, "I am afraid not I truly am a wizard and a pretty good one at that if I do say so myself."

"Mon Dieu!" Gambit collapsed back into the chair he hadn't even realized he had gotten out of in his excitement. Even through his shock he could see the amusement his reaction was having on his host. Even then he had to be sure he was being told the truth, so he asked.

"After this I really need a cigarette, but before we go any further Cher, can you prove it to me dat' you really are what you say you are?"

That got him another wide grin as Harry stood up from his chair, "I had a feeling you would ask that", and raised his hand.

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	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Thief and the Wizard

AU X-men/Harry Potter crossover

Summary: After Gambit is left to die in Antarctica help comes in an unexpected way. Harry Potter was on a job to retrieve an artifact from an old wizard stronghold when he ends up saving a strange man from the ice and snow. What does the future hold for these two men?

Warnings: Possible slash as well as hetero interaction, Violence, Blood, Gore. Does not follow cannon for HP or X-men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or X-men they belong to their respective creators

Author's Note: This chapter didn't take me as long as the last one did and hopefully the next one will be just as quick. This chapter had some difficult moments for me and I hope the chapter flows smoothly enough even though I think it could be better. My thanks to all the people that reviewed I appreciate the attention the story is getting and I hope you all continue to like it as we go further along. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter Five

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As Harry raised his hand Gambit tensed up getting ready to get out of the way quickly. Seeing this Harry paused momentarily and lifted an eyebrow.

"Don't worry I'm not casting anything at you I am using the table next to you."

Gambit looked to his side sure enough there was a small table between the two chairs. Harry waved his hand briefly and in a split second the table turned into a pig. Gambit just sat there staring until the pig let out a very loud "OINK!" That snapped him out of his shock enough to jump out of his chair putting it between himself and the pig with a loud,

"Merde! Is that thing real?"

Harry just chuckled and walked from behind his desk over to the pig that was snuffling around the other chair. Putting a hand on the pigs back he absently patted it as he replied.

"He is a real as I can make him. That is to say he has all the parts except an independent brain. This sort of transformation can last anywhere from twenty minutes to several day depending on how much magic you put into it."

Seeing Gambit still eyeing the pig warily Harry motioned for him to come over closer. Reluctantly Gambit made his way to Harry's side and Harry grabbed his hand running it along the pigs back so he could feel it was real. After a few times of this Gambit backed away from the pig still not quite comfortable with it. Harry waved his hand once more and the pig turned back into a table. Gambit just lowered himself back into the chair he had been sitting in grateful for something solid underneath him. Instead of going behind his desk once more Harry chose to lean back against the front edge in the middle. After a moment Gambit asked a question that was really bugging him.

"Of all da' things you could have done why on earth did ya' do that?!"

Apparently Gambit had been more than disturbed by the pig than Harry thought. Shaking his head he tried to explain his reasoning to the upset Cajun.

"Well to be honest a lot of the things wizards can do, there is a mutant out there who can do something similar. Transfiguration is one of the only branches of magic that can't be imitated by a mutant power so far. The thing that sets witches and wizards apart from mutants is the versatility we have. Mutants only develop a couple powers at the most. Witches and wizards have a spell for almost anything the only thing that limits us is how powerful we are and that varies by each individual."

That last sentenced caused Gambit to look at Harry calculatingly before saying, "So how powerful are you Cher?"

That particular question caused Harry to grimace before reluctantly answering.

"I am the most powerful wizard to come out of the U.K. since Merlin. As for where I stand in world rankings I am in the top three and no I will not say which of the three."

Awed by the fact Harry was supposedly that powerful but sensing it was a sensitive subject Gambit moved on to the questions he really wanted answers to.

"So you think your ready to tell Gambit how you managed to rescue him and what you were doing there in the first place?"

Relieved at the change of subject Harry made his way over to one of the bookcases on the wall and pulled open a drawer to reveal a mini bar pouring himself a drink and offered Gambit one as well. Once that was done he settled back into his chair behind the desk and started the story.

"To start with in the wizarding world I am an artifact hunter/retriever. I go after stuff that's been deemed lost or if a client has had something stolen from them. In the regular world I am an information retrieval expert so instead of artifacts I am after information. I have my own rules in regards to what jobs I take and if clients don't like that they can go somewhere else. Using less fancy terms I am a high end thief."

Gambit just nodded, it seemed Harry had a strict personal code kind of like Wolverine and himself.

"I ended up in Antarctica because the citadel you guys were in is an old wizard stronghold and there was an artifact in there someone paid me to get. Let me tell you after you guys collapsed the damn thing it was a whole lot harder to get than it should have been."

Gambit had the good grace to look a little sheepish as Harry gave him the evil eye before continuing.

"I took a port key which is a form of teleportation to the coordinates I was given which was a couple miles from the citadel and once I got close enough I realized other people were there and took precautions to hide myself. Not a few minutes later I saw the citadel come crumbling down and you all taking off. I had noticed that the girl that flew you out came back alone and once everyone had left I set out to find you. It took me a little bit but I was able to find you before you succumbed to hypothermia. I placed you in a bubble of heated air dried out your clothes and put a slight sleep spell so you didn't wake up and panic on me. Then went back and shifted through the rubble to retrieve the artifact after I had put the bubble in a makeshift tent. Once I got my artifact I erased all traces of my presence and magic and apparated the both of us here. You with me so far?"

Gambit just nodded slowly everything Harry was saying was quite possible. After all he knew he had passed out trying to find his way back in the snow having been drained significantly of his power by Rouge in the citadel and he hadn't had the strength to withstand the cold and wind. Seeing Gambit acknowledge he was still paying attention Harry went back to talking.

"When we got back here I called my personal healer who also happens to be an old school friend to come take a look at you and make sure you didn't have any serious injuries. Wizarding healers use their wands and magic to see your body so there is no reason to remove clothing that's why you woke up fully dressed."

Well that was certainly one of the questions Gambit had wanted an answer too. Waking up fully clothed but being told a doctor had examined you made for a confusing story. The questions he had gathered in his head were slowly being answered as Harry told him more about what had happened.

"By the way at some point my healer would like to come back and talk to you about some things related to his scan nothing serious just some stuff he came across he felt you should know about. Anyway after that I brought you up to the guest room and woke you up and from that point on you know how everything went. Now what I really want to know is your side of things. How you all ended up in the citadel and why? Also what happened with the X-men for them to leave you there? What justification could they possibly give for something like that?"

Gambit knew this would decide Harry's opinion of him once and for all. He truly didn't know how the other would react to his part in the Morlock Massacre and it made him nervous. Even though they had only been around one another for a short time there was something about Harry that made Gambit want to be around the other man. From what he could tell Harry was the type of person Gambit wanted to get to know and be friends with. So with trepidation Gambit told Harry everything; his troubles with the X-men, how he met Storm, and finally the trial and what happened between him and Sinister that led to the Morlock Massacre. After Gambit finished speaking the room was filled with silence and Gambit was already mentally preparing to leave right away if Harry reacted negatively. As the silence grew he became more and more nervous his muscles becoming tense in preparation to leave.

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Harry was deep in thought over what Gambit said and he knew the other man was telling the truth. Throughout the whole conversation he had a discreet little charm activated that let him know if the person he was talking to was lying. As he sat there and tried to absorb all Gambit had told him, he found himself thinking of his own life and the parallels he found between his past and Gambit's story. The X-men could pass as the Order of the Phoenix and Sinister could be considered another version of Voldemort although that was stretching it a bit. Ultimately it came down to the fact that Gambit hadn't known of Sinister's real intentions towards the Morlock's and once he did know he had done all he could to fix it. He wasn't a bad person at heart he had just made the bad decision to trust Sinister. Seeing Gambit was getting fidgety and looked ready to bolt out the door Harry decided to speak some of his thoughts out loud.

"As far as I am concerned you're not a bad person Remy. You were deceived and once you realized that you tried your best to correct your mistake and almost got killed. You were not at fault and the X-men had no right to judge you on that considering most of them have done worse of their own volition at one point or another." Harry shook his head in disgust. "You didn't betray them by not telling them all of your past they betrayed _**you**_ especially the woman who supposedly loved you."

As Harry spoke Gambit's tense muscles relaxed and he could feel a bit of moisture gather in the corners of his eyes. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. It had been a long time since someone was willing to think the best of him. After so long of living with the X-men and just hearing the negative things it was nice to hear something else. All that Harry was saying had already been in the back of his mind just buried under him trying to fit in somewhere he knew he didn't belong. Sure he still had a lot of guilt over various events in his life but he had spent enough time and effort trying to atone and fit in with the rest of the X-men. It was time that he stopped trying to be something he wasn't and pay his penance his own way. Also hearing Harry use his real name instead of his code name sent a pleasurable shiver down his spine but he quickly pushed that thought away, he didn't need that sort of complication at the moment. It was enough to possibly find a friend with a like-minded mentality Gambit didn't need to push his luck.

Silence once again descended upon the room although this time it was a comfortable silence instead of a tense one as each man collected their thoughts and absorbed the information the other had revealed. Finally Harry pushed away from the edge of the desk and breaking the silence.

"From your comment earlier I'm guessing you're a smoker and I'm willing to bet your beginning to go a little nuts not having one."

Gambit just snorted, going nuts was a little understated the past few hours had not been kind to his nerves and he desperately needed a nicotine fix for the sense of calm it would bring him. Choosing to ignore Gambit's reply to him trying to lighten the mood Harry continued speaking as he walked across the room and paused at the doorway clearly waiting for Gambit to join him.

"If you follow me there is a balcony off the entertainment room so you can smoke there."

Gambit got up out of the chair and followed Harry as they once more ventured into the other parts of the apartment. As they walked he patted himself down until he realized he didn't even have his trench coat on and even if he did the cigarettes would be worthless anyway after all he had been through. So it was with a little bit of embarrassment that he interrupted Harry who had been pointing out various things and rooms as they walked passed them.

"Gambit just realized he don't have any cigarettes on him and da' ones in my coat would be trashed. Do you happen to have any around Cher? This poor Cajun would be eternally grateful if you do."

Harry just laughed as they moved past the kitchen into what Harry seemed to call the entertainment room which consisted of a massive TV, DVD, game, and stereo system and two huge comfortable looking couches with an armchair off to the side. Going over to the side of one of the couches where a side table sat he opened one of the drawers and fished out something before tossing it over to Gambit with a smile that reached his green eyes.

"You know you don't really need to charm me. You can have those a friend of mine left them last time he was here."

Gambit looked down at what Harry had tossed him; it was a pack of clove cigarettes. He just shrugged it was better than nothing and followed Harry who had already opened the glass sliding door and was ensconced on one of a couple chairs scattered around the balcony. As he stepped out into the night air he realized how late it was. They had spent several hours talking already, plus everything else that had happened earlier in the day. He also noticed they were in New York City in one of the richer districts. Harry's balcony was furnished with a small table and several chairs along with various potted plants scattered about. Lighting the clove he turned away from the lights of the city and took the seat across from Harry at the table, who wordlessly pushed an ashtray in his direction.

"Do you mind if I turn on some music? I usually have some on most the time when I'm home."

"Non, Gambit don't mind music Cher."

He just flicked the ash off the end of the clove as Harry reached out to a hidden panel in the wall next to them and fiddled with a few things before the opening notes of John Mayer's 'Gravity' flowed out of hidden speakers loud enough to be heard but low enough conversation wouldn't be lost. The two men sat there as the music played "Gravity" winding down and Lucinda William's 'Are you all right?' replacing it. After a few more songs with the same mellowness played and Gambit smoked another two cigarettes he put the third one out and turned to address the other man across the table.

"So where do we go from here mon ami? Gambit don't want to make a nuisance of himself after' you take such good care of him."

Harry just shrugged.

"Your welcome to stay here for as long as you want. The X-men undoubtedly think your dead and that might be for the best. I'm sure you have stash hidden away like any good thief would though it might take a couple days to get if you do want to stay under the radar. I won't mind the company if you want to take a little time to decide what you want to do maybe in the mean time you can come along with me if I go on a job to see what I do."

Gambit's head cocked to the side as he thought about that for a moment. In all honesty he didn't know what he wanted right now everything was still a little mixed up in his head. So much had happened already today. His mind just couldn't process anything more and making any major decisions about his life just wasn't going to happen tonight. Harry must have sensed his inner turmoil because when Gambit came back to himself he found the other man standing in front of him hands in pockets and an understanding look on his face.

"I think enough has happened today already don't you? Sleep on it tonight or a couple nights, take your time, you have that luxury now. Do you remember the way to the room you were in?" Gambit nodded his head yes. "Then I'm going to head for bed it's been a long day. Your welcome to stay up if you want and go anywhere that is unlocked. I will explain what the locked rooms are for tomorrow it's to late tonight."

With that statement Harry turned and started walking back inside the apartment only to pause when he heard Gambit call out quietly.

"Merci beaucoup mon ami. Gambit can't thank you enough for what you done."

Harry looked back over his shoulder at the somber Cajun and gave him a gentle smile.

"Your welcome I hope you sleep well tonight I will see you in the morning."

With that Harry disappeared inside leaving Gambit alone out on the balcony to think and listen to the mellow music filtering out of the speakers as he smoked and thought. Flicking the ash off the end of the cigarette absentmindedly he lost himself in the thoughts swirling around in his head and wondering what tomorrow would hold as he sat on an almost complete strangers balcony in the warm night air.

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	7. Chapter 7

Title: The Thief and the Wizard

AU X-men/Harry Potter crossover

Summary: After Gambit is left to die in Antarctica help comes in an unexpected way. Harry Potter was on a job to retrieve an artifact from an old wizard stronghold when he ends up saving a strange man from the ice and snow. What does the future hold for these two men?

Warnings: Possible slash as well as hetero interaction, Violence, Blood, Gore. Does not follow cannon for HP or X-men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or X-men they belong to their respective creators

Author's Note:

All right everyone I am sorry this was so long in coming. I have lived such a quiet life in the mountains for so long I was unprepared for how noisy the city and my sister's house would be. I seriously tried but between the overall noise and taking care of the kids, even when I had a free moment I couldn't find the concentration to write a paragraph let alone a whole chapter. This chapter was done on a week and a half break I took so I could come back up to the mountains and breathe for a little while. I hope you all enjoy it and hopefully it won't be so long till the next time I can get a chapter out. However I am still helping out my sister and if she is sent to Iraq then I will have the children all on my own. Please be patient because I make no promises. Chapters will come out when I have the time and concentration to do them. I appreciate all of your feedback and please let me know what you liked about the story rather than just saying that you did. Best wishes to you all and hope you enjoy the chapter.

**P.S. This story still does not have a beta there will be grammar mistakes and possibly spelling ones please do not bombard me with this fact. **

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Harry sat up in bed with a gasp his chest rising up and down with his rapid breathing as he tried to recover from yet another nightmare. With a shaking hand he wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced over at the clock by his bedside, which read 6:15am. Flopping backwards onto his pillows he sighed, it was the third such nightmare he had that night and he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again. It would seem the conversation last night with Gambit stirred up more than memories for Harry; he hadn't had that many nightmares in one night in a couple years. Closing his eyes for a moment he took a deep breath and decided his first priority of the morning after he washed the stink of the nightmares away would be meditation and then he would do another session before he went to bed that night. Hopefully that would help him regain some semblance of control and he wouldn't have another night like this.

Throwing his covers to the side he slid out of his bed and made his way to the bathroom for a hot shower and daily bathroom rituals. The wards told him Gambit was still asleep which Harry expected after the ordeal of yesterday. He would have to remember to reinforce the silencers on his bedroom while the other man stayed here. Since Harry still barely knew the former X-man he didn't want to show any weakness in front of him until he was sure Gambit was someone he could truly trust. It took more than one night and a sharing of stories for Harry to reveal all of himself to someone. He had learned over the years his instincts towards people were usually right but was still cautious until they proved that he could trust them with more than he showed on the surface.

Stepping out of the bathroom he quickly went to his wardrobe and threw on some black cargo pants, a green long sleeved shirt, and a pair of black boots. After a quick brushing of his hair he threw it back into the same low ponytail as yesterday, a few glamour charms to disguise his crappy night of sleep and Harry was walking out of the bedroom ready to start his day. An hour or so later Harry was in the kitchen grabbing a light breakfast having done his meditation he felt much calmer and the demons that had awoken during the night were once again safely locked away. Chewing absentmindedly on a bagel he pondered what needed to be done today for his business and the list of stuff he needed to go over with his houseguest. Seeing as Gambit wasn't awake yet Harry decided to let the man sleep for a while longer while he took care of his paperwork if he wasn't awake by noon Harry would go up and check on him.

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Up in the guest bedroom a couple hours later Gambit was slowly waking up and the events of the day before came all back in a rush. He had spent quite a long time out on the balcony thinking about what he wanted to do from this point on. The way he saw it was if the X-men thought he was dead then he would stay so and make a new life for himself. He would miss Ororo the most with Logan coming a close second they were the only two from the team that hadn't tried to stab him in the back at some point. Even though Logan and him hadn't gotten along at first the other man had at least been upfront with him about it and they had worked through it. He hated the fact that he wouldn't be able to let the Weather Goddess know he was alive since she was the only reason he had joined up with the X-Men. He also hated the thought that she might blame herself for what happened.

Deciding he wasn't going to get anything done lying in bed he got up and headed towards the bathroom. Twenty minutes later he came out freshly showered and shaved. Since he still didn't have any extra clothes he put on the pants and shirt Harry had given him yesterday, which weren't too dirty yet. Spotting a pair of socks and shoes beside the door he put those on a well. Checking his pockets he made sure he had a pack of cards on him and the pack of cigarettes he had been given last night, which was mostly empty at this point. Making his way out of the room he set out to find his host and start putting a new life together.

Heading downstairs he peeked into both the kitchen and the entertainment room and not seeing Harry headed towards the office they had used last night. Knocking on the door he heard Harry call for him to enter and taking a deep breath he opened the door and walked in. Harry was behind his desk with papers in neat little stacks all across it but he put down the one he currently held in his hand and motioned for Gambit to sit down.

"So, how are you doing today? Did you sleep alright last night?"

Gambit decided to sit in the chair he had occupied last night as he replied,

"Merci, Gambit slept just fine once he actually went to bed. Gambit be mostly ok today cher, just a few sore muscles."

Harry raised an eyebrow as his eyes gave the other man a quick once over.

"If you say so Gambit I will take your word for it. Have you been able to come to a decision regarding what you want to do?"

Harry's expression was curious but also compassionate as he waited for Gambit to respond. Gambit sucked in a deep breath a little nervous as he said the words that would completely change his life.

"Oui. Gambit thinks it's best if he stays dead for now. De' X-men and Sinister have no reason to make trouble for Gambit if dey' don't know he alive."

He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out a cigarette and started fiddling with it. Sharp green eyes stared at him for a minute before Harry leaned back and relaxed in his chair.

"I think your right but it might be a good idea to notify your Father and The Guild. You don't need a mini war between them and the X-men right now."

Gambit snorted he knew who would win that war if it ever happened.

"Don't worry bout dat' cher. Gambit has to call ma pere anyway for the key to da' safe box here in New York. He will keep Gambit's secrets, never did like da' fact dat' I joined da' X-men."

A slow smile spread across Harry's face as he heard that. He had a feeling he would get along with the leader of the Thieves Guild.

"Good, I'm glad you have someone like that. Feel free to tell them whom your staying with all I ask is that you not say exactly where you are. The phones here are all automatically scrambled so they can't be traced and wiretaps won't work on either end all anyone hears is static. While you're doing that I will head out and deliver the artifact I recovered yesterday then we can go out and get you clothes and anything else you need. Sound good?"

Gambit smiled back, "D'accord mon ami Gambit don' mind doin a little shopping."

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An hour and a half later Gambit hung up the phone after a long conversation with his father and Tante Mattie. It had taken a while to fill them in on everything that had happened with the X-men in the last couple months and what went down in Antarctica. Even though Harry had told him that Jean-Luc and Tante should know about him Gambit still hadn't expected them to recognize the name of his rescuer right away. After a few questions verifying that they were all talking about the same man both Jean-Luc and Tante Mattie told him what they knew and it matched up with what Harry had told him so far. Tante also had some advice for him regarding his savior.

"Remy my boy, you tend to run into some very powerful people both good and bad. This wizard Harry is both powerful and good-hearted however he has a reputation of being a bit of a loner, not many people get to call him friend. He obviously sees something in you that he likes; don't go looking for an ulterior motive because he won't have one. This man will be a good friend to you if you let him don't ruin that with mistrust and suspicion."

Those words from his Tante reassured Gambit, she had a way of seeing who people really were and if she said he could start really trusting Harry then Gambit was going to try. He really did want the other man as a friend and he could already feel a connection forming between the two of them. After that the last few minute on the phone were spent ironing out the details of getting Gambit access to his accounts without alerting anyone and getting him new identification. It was decided that the account the X-men knew about would stay the way it was until they notified Jean-Luc of his death and then taken care of along with anything he had left at the mansion.

Just about ten minutes after Gambit ended his phone call he heard the door to the apartment open and a few seconds later Harry appeared in the doorway. As he walked through the door Gambit gave him a quick once over. The other man looked to be in good spirits as he moved towards the mini fridge hidden behind a cabinet door. Grabbing a bottle of water Harry leaned against the edge of the cabinet unscrewed the top on his water and took a long swig before addressing Gambit.

"Were you able you able to talk to your father and take care of what you needed to or do we need to take a quick trip down to New Orleans?"

Remy shook his head, "Non, ma pere was home. Still have a few loose ends but Gambit need to take care of dat' on his own and dat' can be done here in da' city."

Then he cocked his head curiously to the side, "Would we really be able to take a quick trip down to Nawlins' right now?"

Harry laughed his green eyes sparkling with humor as he took another sip of water and replied, "If we needed to I could apparate us there and back in a few minutes. It is one of the ways wizards travel and similar to teleportation however for most wizards there are limits on how much distance they can cover and how many times in row they can do it."

At Harry's last comment Remy had the feeling he was talking about wizards other than him and decided to voice that thought with a smirk playing across his face.

"But Gambit is guessing those limits don't apply to you do they mon ami?"

Using a sly tone of voice in response to Gambit's smirk Harry replied.

"Not really it takes a lot for me to reach my limit I have a lot of stamina."

Gambit just laughed appreciating the humor he liked knowing that Harry didn't take himself to seriously and could poke fun at himself.

As for Harry he just liked watching his guest enjoy himself and Gambit truly was a sight to behold when he laughed it lit up his face and erased some of the lines that had appeared from stress and sleepless nights. Once the thief's laughter had died down Harry decided to take a seat in the matching chair across from Gambit before continuing to speak.

"Now that we have that taken care of I think the next thing is to go shopping for some necessities for you and to introduce you to the staff running the lobby in this building so they know your staying with me and are free to use the elevator and get an extra key for said elevator and the door. I also want to know if its ok with you if my healer friend comes over for dinner tonight so you two can discuss what he found when he treated you. He is magical and has taken an oath of patient privacy that if he violates will cause him to lose his magic so he hasn't told me anything beyond what I needed to know to treat you."

Gambit wasn't sure what to think he was naturally wary of doctors, scientists, and the like but the healer had already had an opportunity to do something and he hadn't. Gambit was also wondering just what the man had found that he felt a meeting was needed. Deciding to get it over with he nodded his head slowly his eyes still showing his wariness even as he spoke his agreement.

"Dat' be okay Cher, Gambit must admit he is a little curious to hear what your healer thinks he found in this Cajun."

Harry smiled at the other man trying to show his reassurance in both his face and voice. He could understand Gambit's wariness around those in the medical field considering how other medical personnel had treated him already.

"Neville is an old friend and one of the very few that I trust with my life. He won't do anything you don't want him to and whatever you tell or discuss with him is guaranteed to stay between you two. He really is a nice guy."

Deciding the conversation was becoming to heavy Harry got up out of his chair and snagged a pen off the desk before quickly transfiguring it into a pair of wrap around sunglasses which he handed to a fascinated Gambit before going behind the desk and rummaging around in one of the drawers before finally slamming it shut and coming back around the desk, a pendant with a stylized sun hanging on a leather cord in hand.

"We need to go shopping and I believe the sunglasses are a given but this pendant will hide you in other ways."

Harry held up the pendant to show it off before giving it to the curious Cajun as well.

"There are a couple spells on it. One will hide your scent that way anyone with enhanced senses like Feral-type mutants, Werewolves, and Vampires can't recognize it or follow it. The second is called a notice me not, unless you make a big commotion or speak directly to a person people are going to basically ignore you and that way you avoid being recognized if indeed someone is looking for you. The third charm is a shield charm, if someone shoots a spell at you a magical shield will appear to protect you from most spells except for some of the higher level nasty ones. However I would still recommend dodging since I can't guarantee how long the shield will stay after being hit. What do you think?"

Gambit fiddled with the pendant for a moment before lifting it up and pulling the leather thong over his head so that the pendant fell at about mid chest. The sunglasses were already in place and hiding his unique eyes that Harry already found himself wishing he could see again.

"Sounds tre' bien, mighty useful little thing to have. Gambit's gonna have to figure out how he gonna make himself different on a regular basis though."

Harry just shrugged, "It shouldn't be to difficult if there isn't a muggle way there is a magical one. I will show you a few things wizards use besides their own magic to disguise themselves. Are you ready to go then?"

Getting to his feet Remy walked to the door and opened it with a mocking half bow.

"After you monsieur."

Rolling his eyes Harry walked through the door already knowing today was going to be an interesting experience and hoping he was going to survive with his sanity intact.

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Shopping with Remy was more than interesting it was a whirlwind of designer store after designer store. Harry had apparated them to a small alleyway so when they came back it would look like the first time Remy had been in the apartment building and after a quick stop at a small but exclusive bank to pick up his account details the shopping experience had begun. It seemed the Cajun was fond of silk and leather as well as designer labels. Amused Harry found himself comparing this to the equivalent of going shopping with Draco Malfoy in the wizarding section of town. The blonde Slytherin was a clotheshorse and frequently updated his wardrobe with the newest fashions. He was also forever trying to convince Harry to go shopping with him whenever they met up because according to him Harry just wasn't dressing to his full potential. So far Harry had managed to avoid Draco's attempts but knew sooner or later he would be cornered into one.

As they moved from store to store Gambit slowly built a whole wardrobe from boots and shoes to trench coats and sunglasses. Harry even found himself picking up a few new things that caught his eye including a pair of sunglasses and a soft leather jacket with a warm interior perfect for when he was riding his bike. As they exited yet another store Harry motioned for Remy to follow him into an empty alleyway, slightly confused the Cajun did. Once they were in the alleyway and out of site Harry quickly set his bags down and shrinking them with a wave of his hand. Motioning to Gambit to set his down too he said,

"Let me shrink yours too it makes things a lot easier to carry and I can enlarge them when we get back home."

After he got past his surprise Gambit handed over his bags and commented, "That is awful handy cher, all da' women must love having you tag along. They never have to carry a bag den', non?"

Harry snorted, "Most the women I know can do this for themselves and know better than to try and rope me into their shopping."

"Aw, you make Gambit feel special cher. Better watch out dis' Cajun might even blush a little." Remy spoke in a teasing tone and even lifted his sunglasses to add a little wink that made Harry laugh as he picked up the shrunken packages and placed them in a safe pocket in his coat. Deciding to tease back Harry responded with,

"Don't let it go to your head too much my friend, I can't help it if I have special skills and you don't. I am only trying to do my duty as a higher powered being to a lesser one."

Harry made sure to turn his nose up in an exaggerated way he had seen many pure bloods do when faced with those they felt were below them as he walked past Remy stopping at the entrance to the alley he gestured imperiously with his hand.

"Come now no time to dawdle we have more shopping to do."

With Remy standing there speechless with his mouth open at the sheer snootiness in Harry's voice Harry couldn't hold the expression anymore and broke down snickering with Remy joining him as the two men stepped back out onto the streets of New York enjoying each others company and sense of humor. Still snickering Remy couldn't help but comment.

"That was good cher, Gambit be guessing da' high society in your world kinda like the one in mine oui?"

Harry wrinkled his nose, "Yeah they are if not worse. After all apparently since we have magic we are especially better than other people. Some of them can be ok but I prefer to keep away from all of it."

Gambit was quick to catch the way Harry worded things and pounce on it.

"You say we as if you a part of dat' group cher, are you?"

Harry made kind of a face and ran a hand through his hair before speaking his tone almost apologetic.

"Technically I am apart of the wizarding aristocracy since I am head of two old families whose bloodlines go way back and made a crap load of money along the way. My father's family, the Potter's are an old light family that I am the last of and inherited when he died. The other family I inherited was from my Godfather he was the head of 'The most Noble and Ancient House of Blacks.'" You could practically hear the quotation marks. "His family was considered dark and he had no children so he named me as his heir to prevent the other dark oriented family members from claiming it when he died, which was when I was fifteen. The thing is I grew up not even knowing about magic let alone high society so when I finally found out all this I decided to stay as far away from it as possible. Anything to do with the Potter and Black families goes through representatives I picked and only the really important stuff comes directly to me. I just check every so often to make sure the representatives I chose are doing their jobs well."

Gambit was able to keep his surprise from showing on his face for once. It seemed his new friend had all sorts of interesting facets to him and he was looking forward to seeing each one. Sensing that Harry wasn't exactly comfortable with the subject anymore Gambit tabled his questions for a later point in time.

"Well cher, Gambit likes you all the same so it don't matter none. Now the next thing on Gambit's list is transportation and while he be liking his Harley's in the past he thinks it's time for a little change."

With that exclamation the Cajun halted in front of a motorcycle showroom with the words Ducati emblazoned across the top. Stopping in front of the doors Harry looked on amused as Remy rubbed his hands together in glee before pushing the doors open and striding right in eager to get his hands on the shiny machines. Shaking his head in amusement Harry pushed his way through the doors wondering what Gambit would say when he showed him the Hayabusa he had sitting in his garage.

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	8. Chapter 8

Title: The Thief and the Wizard

AU X-men/Harry Potter crossover

Summary: After Gambit is left to die in Antarctica help comes in an unexpected way. Harry Potter was on a job to retrieve an artifact from an old wizard stronghold when he ends up saving a strange man from the ice and snow. What does the future hold for these two men?

Warnings: Possible slash as well as hetero interaction, Violence, Blood, Gore. Does not follow cannon for HP or X-men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or X-men they belong to their respective creators

**Author's Note: Well this chapter has been long delayed and I'm not going to take up room here explaining things. If you really want to know you can read it on my profile. Due to the circumstances explained in the aformentioned profile I can not say when the next update will be. For those wondering, I have no intentions of ever abandoning this story. It may be a long time between updates but I will eventually put up new chapters. The story itself is still does not have a beta so there will be errors. Thank you to all the people who have read and commented on my story, I do appreciate it.**

**Chapter 7**

Gambit flitted around the showroom excitedly looking at bike to bike, sitting on each one, and examining them all over before finally deciding on a Ducati Superbike. After informing the salesman he would be paying right now in cash, he even got a couple thousand knocked off the price. Paying the man, Harry and Gambit quickly made arrangements to have the bike delivered to the garage underneath Harry's apartment building. Exiting the dealership Harry couldn't help but smile at Remy who was rubbing his hands together in glee.

"I can't wait to take a ride on my new baby. It's been a long time since Gambit been on a bike other 'dan his Harley."

The happiness on Gambit's face dimmed a little as he was reminded just where his Harley currently sat. Not liking where he saw Gambit's thoughts were heading, Harry spoke up.

"Well now that we have that done we have a few options as to what we can do next. If you're done with the whole shopping thing for now we can always go back to my place and relax or we can take a trip down to the wizarding section of town and get a few things to get started on your permanent disguise. It's up to you."

Gambit stopped walking and stepped off to the side into a space between buildings out of the way of the people on the street. Harry followed as he waited for an answer. Leaning against a convenient wall Remy looked up at the clear blue sky he could barely see between all of the buildings. Finally shrugging his shoulders Remy spoke up after a few moments.

"S'pose it would be better for Remy to change himself sooner rather 'dan later, no? Let's go see 'dis magic world of yours homme."

He gestured for Harry to precede him with his usual cocky grin and lilt in his voice. Deciding not to bring up the fact he could see through Remy's bravado to the nervousness underneath, Harry stepped back out into the throngs of people making his way down the sidewalk. Motioning with a wave of his hand for Remy to follow him Harry walked to the edge of the sidewalk.

Hailing a cab, they got in and Harry directed the driver to take them to Times Square. Turning to face Remy he cast a wandless muffilatto deciding to go ahead and answer the question he knew had to be on the thief's mind.

"Our people have for centuries decided to follow the policy of hiding in plain sight. You will almost always find an entrance to our marketplaces smack dab in the middle of muggle shopping areas. There are plenty of protections surrounding it and unless you are sensitive to magic or a magic user yourself, you wouldn't even realize it's there."

Leaning back in his seat and stretching out his long legs as much as he could Remy just nodded.

"Makes sense to me mon ami. Remy understands the need for a group of _different _type of people to hide."

They arrived at Times Square a few minutes later and the cabbie pulled over to let them out. Canceling the muffilatto Harry paid the driver and they stepped out onto the sidewalk. Stepping to one side and a smile on his face, Gambit gestured with a courtly bow for Harry to lead the way. Giving the thief an amused smile in response Harry started walking Remy barely a step behind. As they walked Harry continued the explanation he had begun in the cab.

"Due to the fact I tend to be recognized fairly easily in my world, before we step into the marketplace proper I'm going to slip on a disguise of my own. Under the disguise I'm going to use today I go by the name Eric Taylor. Once we get you outfitted with a new look, we can work on establishing an identity for that look in both the muggle and wizarding world if you want."

Ambling along a step behind Harry with his hands in his pockets, Remy considered it. He was no stranger to creating new identities and having an identity in the magical world might come in handy later on.

"Dat' sounds like a plan to me cher. Never know when things like that can come in handy down da' road."

Flashing a quick smile at the thief Harry nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, better to have it than not, you never know when you might need it. Merlin knows I have used them frequently. Once we get that identity established we can also open you up an account at the bank -_which is run by goblins by the way_- providing you with another place to stash some stuff. Wizarding banks are almost impossible to get into to steal something."

Gambit's eyes widened slightly at Harry's mumbled comment about goblins and he couldn't help but ask.

"Goblins? Are you having 'dis poor country boy on?"

Harry's green eyes twinkled with amusement.

"We both know you aren't some poor lil' country boy Remy and yes, goblins are real along with dragons, unicorns, vampires, werewolves, and many other creatures. Goblins pretty much run the wizarding banking system except for the gnomes in Switzerland. They are a proud race and have had multiple conflicts with wizards over the years especially in Britain. However vicious and bloodthirsty they can be, there is no one else better at making money, wizarding or muggle. They have strict codes and laws that they follow and take their clients privacy very seriously. So long as you are polite and respect what they do you will be fine."

Gambit just shook his head in disbelief. Merde! It was like when he was first learning about mutants again. Realizing that things out of fantasy were actually reality, having adjust and integrate that knowledge into how he looked at things.

"Homme, you sure know how to turn a man's world upside down."

Now Harry was starting to look at him a little worriedly and his tone became apologetic as he replied.

"Sorry Remy I don't mean to overwhelm you, I know all this is a lot to handle all at once. Let me know if it gets to be too much and we can just head back to the apartment so you can decompress and process it all. You went through a lot of shit before this, and to have all this other information thrown on top of you right way, I completely understand if you're a bit overwhelmed." With a self-deprecating laugh, he continued. " You should have seen me when I first learned about the wizarding world."

Remy felt a real sense of gratitude rush through him at the other man's words. Harry was rapidly becoming the sort of person he felt he could truly trust and hopefully a good friend as well. So far the wizard had been nothing but accommodating, willing to do what Remy needed to feel safe and comfortable with everything. Offering up a small smile and genuine warmth in his eyes Gambit let his gratitude show in his voice.

"'Dat's ok cher, je suis tres bien. Gambit can process 'dis all later non? Right now it be more important to get things done."

Harry was just glad he had decided to learn several other languages, including French, when he started studying to take his muggle school exams. Otherwise he would miss half of what Gambit said on a regular basis. Giving the thief one last concerned glance he mentally shrugged figuring Remy would know his own limits. Merlin knew he hated it when people continued to push after he had made it clear he was ok to handle things. Noticing they were close to their destination Harry ducked into a semi-private alley way, Gambit right behind him.

"Ok then, we are almost there so I'm going to go ahead and slip my glamour on."

Harry reached into a small pouch at his waist and Remy realized with some surprise that he hadn't even noticed it. The pouch must be magical because Remy had been trained to notice exactly what people did and didn't have on their person whether they tried to conceal it or not. Pulling out a stylized medallion decorated with an ouroboros and what looked to be Celtic knot work on a silver chain Harry quickly slipped it over his head. Right in front of Gambit's eyes Harry's appearance began changing. He grew a few inches taller, his hair turned a dark brown color and became much shorter, and his eyes changed from vibrant green to a dark blue. Then his skin tone changed from slightly tan to paler white and finally the bones in his face shifted until no trace of what he used to look like was left. Having seen Mystique in action many times Gambit was incredibly curious and had to ask.

"Do you actually change shape mon ami? Or is it all just an illusion because dat' looked painful."

Harry chuckled, "No. It's not an actual shape shift, just illusion. I don't feel a thing even though it looks otherwise."

His disguise now in place Harry made his way back out onto the main street Gambit once again following behind. Walking past two more stores Harry walked into the third holding the door open for Remy. Moving past Harry and into the shop Gambit took a look around. The store was apparently one of those new age trinket shops with a ton of crystals and the scent of incense filling the air. Letting the door close behind him Harry nodded at the person tending the counter. Then he grabbed a hold of Remy's elbow leading him towards the two doors in the back corner of the shop shrouded in shadow. Opening the door to the right Harry lead the way into a plain looking room that contained a cheap looking table with two chairs and a really old looking fireplace.

For the life of him Remy couldn't figure out how any of this would get them to the wizarding marketplace. Seeing the confusion on his face, Harry just grinned before walking over to the mantelpiece above the fireplace. Casually waving his hand a fire sprang to life in the grate. Slightly startled and nervously wondering what the fire could possibly be for, Remy was not at all comforted by the look of amusement on the wizard's face. That nervousness quickly turned to horror as Harry began his explanation of floo travel.


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